India Shaken by School Violence

According to police, two students took turns shooting Abhishek Tyagi, 14, in a school hall. He died with two bullets in his chest and one in his head, news reports said. The two boys are being held in juvenile detention.

Security experts say there has been a gun-buying boom in Gurgaon, a young city built on new money. Many businessmen arm themselves in hopes of protecting large amounts of cash, often earned from construction of shopping malls and corporate offices.

Some families say they need to be armed because security in Gurgaon is weak. But many Indians say the country needs to start talking about better gun control. Parents have been pressing for that in Internet chat rooms and on radio talk shows.

At a conference last week, "Lessons from Gurgaon Shootout -- Call for Redrafting India's Gun Legislation," members of an advocacy group called the Control Arms Foundation of India called for much tighter controls. Most of India's civilian guns are not registered, the group said.

On Tuesday, students and teachers at many high schools in New Delhi talked about the recent incidents in special assemblies or small meetings. Saloni Goyal, 42, said her daughter's high school was holding a debate titled "Indian Youth: A Generation Gone Bad?"

Newspapers ran articles on Tuesday blaming rising juvenile violence on wealthier students' addiction to violent video games and the Internet. Some TV channels conducted polls asking parents: "Is violence in schools the new Indian threat? Are we becoming like our Indian-American NRI relatives?" NRI stands for non-resident Indian.

"One thing is clear," said Goyal, a financial investor. "Parents are busier now with the economy, the pressure to make money. Frankly, we are working too much. Maybe we need to sit down, like our parents did, and make sure we ask our children how their days went and what they are angry or sad about. That might be at least a first good step."